The Republic Navy or Republic fleet, once known as the Navy of the Republic, was the military fleet used to defend the Galactic Republic throughout many millennia.
When the Galactic Republic was founded in 25,053 BBY, it was founded without a standing navy. It was not until 24,000 BBY, when the Tionese War against the Honorable Union of Desevro & Tion began, that a centralized navy was created; the Republic’s member worlds had relied on their own militaries and were expected to contribute resources and troops to a centralized force if a threat presented itself. According to navy tradition, the Republic Navy was headquartered on Foerost, the site of the Republic’s largest shipyard, but it was disbanded at the war’s end around 23,900 BBY. During the Tionese War, the cruiser-sized Gilagimar was active, and it was one of the most famous vessels from the Navy during the Expansionist Era.
During the early Alsakan Conflicts, a series of seventeen wars between the Republic and the allies of the planet Alsakan, the Galactic Senate resisted calls for the Navy’s reinstatement. In the early conflicts, both Alsakan and the Coruscant-controlled Republic attempted to use massive battle fleets to secure victories, but neither side had the military resources to split their forces between attack and defense. During the Duinuogwuin Contention of 15,500 BBY, when the Duinuogwuin species attacked the Republic capital of Coruscant, further calls for the Navy’s return were blocked by internal feuding in the Senate. Around 15,000 BBY, however, the Senate finally heeded the pleas of the outlying systems and re-established the Navy with its headquarters on Coruscant.